''Knowing How to Know'' is a book by the writer Idries Shah published posthumously by

Octagon Press Octagon Press was a cross-cultural publishing house based in London, UK. It was founded in 1960 by Sufism, Sufi teacher, Idries Shah to establish the historical and cultural context for his ideas. The company ceased trading in 2014. Description ...

in 1998. A paperback edition was published in 2000. Shortly before he died, Shah stated that his books form a complete course that could fulfil the function he had fulfilled while alive. As such, ''Knowing How To Know'' can be read as part of a whole course of study.

Content

''Knowing How To Know'' builds on the foundations laid in Shah's previous publications Learning How to Learn: Psychology and Spirituality in the Sufi Way and

The Commanding Self ''The Commanding Self'' is a book by the writer Idries Shah first published by Octagon Press in 1994. A paperback edition was published in 1997. Shortly before he died, Shah stated that his books form a complete course that could fulfil the func ...

. Some of the themes addressed in the book include the often unrecognised barriers which prevent knowledge and understanding and the necessary conditions and factors which must be present for learning to take place.

Reception

In a ''

Sunday Telegraph ''The Sunday Telegraph'' is a British broadsheet newspaper, founded in February 1961 and published by the Telegraph Media Group, a division of Press Holdings. It is the sister paper of ''The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', kn ...

'' review, Nobel Prize winner

Doris Lessing Doris May Lessing (; 22 October 1919 – 17 November 2013) was a British-Zimbabwean novelist. She was born to British parents in Iran, where she lived until 1925. Her family then moved to Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), where she remain ...

wrote of ''Knowing How To Know'' that it "needs attentive reading, if only because some of its contentions are startling and need time to think about . . . This would not be a book by Shah if it were not often very funny. In short, those who know Shah's work will not need to be told it is a cornucopia of very various delights; those who do not may find it a fascinating introduction to the

Sufi Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...

view of life." The psychologist and writer Robert Ornstein stated that the book "presented a blueprint of the human mental structure. ''

Psychology Today ''Psychology Today'' is an American media organization with a focus on psychology and human behavior. It began as a bimonthly magazine, which first appeared in 1967. The ''Psychology Today'' website features therapy and health professionals direct ...

'' described Knowing How To Know as "A major psychological and cultural event of our time" and the '' New York Times'' review commented that "One is immediately forced to use one's mind in a new way."Amazon.com page on Knowing How To Know

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

Official Idries Shah website
Sufi literature Sufi psychology Books by Idries Shah 1998 books